Dick Tracy Returns
Encyclopedia
Dick Tracy Returns is a Republic
Movie serial based on the Dick Tracy
comic strip
. It was the eleventh of the sixty six serials Republic produced and a sequel to the 1937 serial Dick Tracy
, with Ralph Byrd
reprising his role as the title character. It was successful enough that two further sequels were released, in 1939 and 1941, and Byrd become so connected with the character he went on the play him in a subsequent television series.
This serial charts Tracy's efforts to capture the Stark Gang of Pa Stark (Charles Middleton
).
was $170,940 (a $13,949, or 8.9%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial of 1938 and the most expensive Republic serial until The Lone Ranger Rides Again
in 1939. It was the second most expensive of the four Dick Tracy serials (the most expensive was the last, Dick Tracy vs Crime Inc
at $175,919).
It was filmed between 10 June and 18 July 1938 under the working title
Return of Dick Tracy. The serial's production number was 791.
As with the other three serials in the Republic series, Tracy is depicted as a West Coast
FBI agent rather than as the local police detective for a large Midwestern city he is in the original comic strip.
This serial, like all the sequels to the original 1937 Dick Tracy serial
, was permitted by an interpretation of the original contract, which allowed a "series or serial". Therefore, Chester Gould was not paid again for the right to produce this serial.
The serial was re-released on 17 July 1948 between the first runs of Dangers of the Canadian Mounted
and Adventures of Frank and Jesse James
.
Source:
Note: This was one of two 15-chapter Republic serials of 1938 (with The Lone Ranger
). The other two were only 12 chapters long.
Republic Pictures
Republic Pictures was an independent film production-distribution corporation with studio facilities, operating from 1934 through 1959, and was best known for specializing in westerns, movie serials and B films emphasizing mystery and action....
Movie serial based on the Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy is a comic strip featuring Dick Tracy, a hard-hitting, fast-shooting and intelligent police detective. Created by Chester Gould, the strip made its debut on October 4, 1931, in the Detroit Mirror. It was distributed by the Chicago Tribune New York News Syndicate...
comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
. It was the eleventh of the sixty six serials Republic produced and a sequel to the 1937 serial Dick Tracy
Dick Tracy (serial)
Dick Tracy is a 15-Chapter Republic movie serial starring Ralph Byrd based on the Dick Tracy comic strip by Chester Gould. It was directed by Alan James and Ray Taylor.-Synopsis:...
, with Ralph Byrd
Ralph Byrd
Ralph Byrd was an American actor. He was most famous for playing the comic strip character Dick Tracy on screen, in serials, movies and television.-Early life and career:...
reprising his role as the title character. It was successful enough that two further sequels were released, in 1939 and 1941, and Byrd become so connected with the character he went on the play him in a subsequent television series.
This serial charts Tracy's efforts to capture the Stark Gang of Pa Stark (Charles Middleton
Charles B. Middleton
Charles B. Middleton was an American stage and film actor. During a film career that began at age 46 and lasted almost 30 years, Charles Middleton appeared in nearly two hundred films as well as numerous plays...
).
Cast
- Ralph ByrdRalph ByrdRalph Byrd was an American actor. He was most famous for playing the comic strip character Dick Tracy on screen, in serials, movies and television.-Early life and career:...
as Dick Tracy - Lynne RobertsLynne RobertsLynne Roberts, born Theda May Roberts was an American film actress who appeared exclusively in B-movies.-Career:...
as Gwen Andrews - Charles MiddletonCharles B. MiddletonCharles B. Middleton was an American stage and film actor. During a film career that began at age 46 and lasted almost 30 years, Charles Middleton appeared in nearly two hundred films as well as numerous plays...
as Pa Stark. Pa Stark was based on the real criminal Ma Barker. - Jerry TuckerJerry TuckerJerry Tucker is a former American child actor, most notable for appearing as the "rich kid" in the Our Gang short subjects series semi-regularly from 1931 to 1938....
as Junior - David Sharpe as Agent Ron Merton, a newly trained agent.
- Lee Ford as Mike McGurk
- Michael Kent as Agent Steve Lockwood
- John Merton as Champ Stark
- Raphael Bennett as Trigger Stark
- Jack Roberts as Dude Stark
- Ned GlassNed GlassNed Glass was an American character actor who appeared in more than eighty films and on television more than one hundred times, frequently playing nervous, cowardly or weasely characters...
as Kid Stark - Jack IngramJack Ingram (actor)Jack Ingram was an American film actor. He appeared in over 300 films between 1935 and 1966, according to the Internet Movie Data Base.He was born in Illinois, and died in Canoga Park, California of a heart attack...
as Slasher Stark
Production
Dick Tracy Returns was budgeted at $156,991 although the final negative costNegative cost
Negative cost is the cost of actually producing and shooting a film. It does not include such costs as distribution and promotion.Low-budget movies, for example The Blair Witch Project, can have promotional expenses that are much larger than the negative cost.The term comes from the costs up to the...
was $170,940 (a $13,949, or 8.9%, overspend). It was the most expensive Republic serial of 1938 and the most expensive Republic serial until The Lone Ranger Rides Again
The Lone Ranger Rides Again
The Lone Ranger Rides Again is a 1939 American Republic serial. It was a sequel to Republic's earlier 1937 serial The Lone Ranger, which had been highly successful, and the thirteenth of the sixty-six serials produced by Republic....
in 1939. It was the second most expensive of the four Dick Tracy serials (the most expensive was the last, Dick Tracy vs Crime Inc
Dick Tracy vs Crime Inc
Dick Tracy vs. Crime, Inc. is a Republic Movie serial based on the Dick Tracy comic strip. It was directed by the legendary serial team of William Witney and John English with Ralph Byrd reprising his role from the earlier serials...
at $175,919).
It was filmed between 10 June and 18 July 1938 under the working title
Working title
A working title, sometimes called a production title, is the temporary name of a product or project used during its development, usually used in filmmaking, television production, novel, video game, or music album.-Purpose:...
Return of Dick Tracy. The serial's production number was 791.
As with the other three serials in the Republic series, Tracy is depicted as a West Coast
West Coast of the United States
West Coast or Pacific Coast are terms for the westernmost coastal states of the United States. The term most often refers to the states of California, Oregon, and Washington. Although not part of the contiguous United States, Alaska and Hawaii do border the Pacific Ocean but can't be included in...
FBI agent rather than as the local police detective for a large Midwestern city he is in the original comic strip.
This serial, like all the sequels to the original 1937 Dick Tracy serial
Dick Tracy (serial)
Dick Tracy is a 15-Chapter Republic movie serial starring Ralph Byrd based on the Dick Tracy comic strip by Chester Gould. It was directed by Alan James and Ray Taylor.-Synopsis:...
, was permitted by an interpretation of the original contract, which allowed a "series or serial". Therefore, Chester Gould was not paid again for the right to produce this serial.
Special effects
The special effects were created by Republic's in-house team, the Lydecker brothersLydecker brothers
-Partial filmography:*Darkest Africa *Women in War - Oscar nominated*Adventures of Captain Marvel *Flying Tigers - Oscar nominated*Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe...
Stunts
- Earle D. Bunn
- Yakima CanuttYakima CanuttYakima Canutt , also known as Yak Canutt, was an American rodeo rider, actor, stuntman and action director.-Biography:...
- George DeNormand as Dick Tracy (doubling Ralph Byrd)
- Duke Green
- George MagrillGeorge MagrillGeorge Magrill , was an American film actor. He appeared in 326 films between 1923 and 1952.He was born in Brooklyn, New York, was married to Ramona Oliver, and had a daughter named Marilynn...
- Eddie Parker
- Allen Pomeroy
- Loren Riebe
- Ted Wells
- Bud WolfeBud WolfeRoland 'Bud' Wolfe was an American pilot who parachuted from an RAF Spitfire plane into a peat bog on the Inishowen peninsula in County Donegal, Ireland, on November 30, 1941. The incident initiated a diplomatic row between Britain and Ireland....
Theatrical
Dick Tracy Returns official release date is 20 August 1938, although this is actually the date the seventh chapter was made available to film exchanges.The serial was re-released on 17 July 1948 between the first runs of Dangers of the Canadian Mounted
Dangers of the Canadian Mounted
Dangers of the Canadian Mounted is a Northern Republic film serial.-Cast:* Jim Bannon as Sergeant Chris Royal, RCMP* Virginia Belmont as Roberta "Bobbie" Page* Anthony Warde as Mort Fowler* Dorothy Granger as Skagway Kate...
and Adventures of Frank and Jesse James
Adventures of Frank and Jesse James
Adventures of Frank and Jesse James is a 1948 Republic film serial.-Cast:* Clayton Moore as Jesse James AKA John Howard* Steve Darrell as Frank James AKA Bob Carroll* Noel Neill as Judy Powell* George J...
.
Critical reception
Cline states that the Dick Tracy serials were "unexcelled in the action field," adding that "in any listing of serials released after 1930, the four Dick Tracy adventures from Republic must stand out as classics of the suspense detective thrillers, and the models for many others to follow."Chapter titles
- The Sky Wreckers (29min 51s)
- The Runaway of Death (16min 34s)
- Handcuffed to Doom (16min 20s)
- Four Seconds to Live (15min 39s)
- Death in the Air (16min 35s)
- Stolen Secrets (15min 23s)
- Tower of Death (14min 34s)
- Cargo of Destruction (16min 12s)
- The Clock of Doom (16min 4s) - a re-cap chapter
- High Voltage (16min 15s)
- The Kidnapped Witness/The Missing Witness (15min 45s)
- The Runaway Torpedo (15min 33s)
- Passengers to Doom (16min 19s) - a re-cap chapter
- In the Hands of the Enemy (16min 30s)
- G-Men's Drag-Net (16min 24s)
Source:
Note: This was one of two 15-chapter Republic serials of 1938 (with The Lone Ranger
The Lone Ranger (serial)
The Lone Ranger is a 1938 American Republic Movie serial. It was the ninth of the sixty-six serials produced by Republic, the fourth western and the first of 1938...
). The other two were only 12 chapters long.